L-O-V-E
by BikoNeko
Summary: Because of their constant fighting, Seifer and Quistis stay away from each other for one whole month. At the end of the month, will they realize how much they care or decide never to see each other again?
1. If This is Love

L-O-V-E   
by BikoNeko/PokeSqrt

* * *

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and its characters belong to Squaresoft, not I. 

Author's Notes: Hello everyone, this is a Seifer & Quistis fic. I got so inspired to write this and I just couldn't restrain myself from doing so! There is never enough of that pairing, anyway! ^^ Well, I hope you like. 

* * *

PART 1 If This is Love 

He watched in terror as the lovely porcelain vase was flung across the room. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his small hands onto his ears to block out the ear-piercing shattering of the object upon hitting the wall. He retreated into his room and jumped onto his bed, putting the pillow over his head in an attempt to hinder the painful sounds of his parents fighting. 

_'Mommy...Daddy...please stop fighting...'_ he pleaded in his mind as tears stained his cheeks. _'I don't want you to fight anymore...'_

~*~*~*~

"GOD DAMMIT, QUISTIS!!!" Seifer boomed, green eyes flaring. "What would you have done if I didn't come in time, huh? WHAT!!! Someone could have taken away our kid!!! Then what?!" 

"Look, I _specifically_ told you that I was going somewhere today," Quistis retorted. 

"I have to work! What the hell!!! Why didn't you just take him with you!? Or leave him with a babysitter!?" 

"We don't have enough money to afford a babysitter every single day, Seifer! I told you that we had to alternate! I have things to attend to, too, you know!!!" 

"Who brings in the money to this house, huh??? WHO!!!???" 

"**I** support this family too!!! I would have brought in more if you'd just stay here while I worked!" 

"Wait, we are NOT a family! It's only me and you and the kid. DON'T think I'm doing this for you because I'm not! This is only for the kid! I work for that kid! And what am I supposed to do while you were out at work anyway, huh? Sit here and cook?!" 

"So you expect _me_ to do that?!" 

"Of course, that's all you're good for!" 

{_PAK!!!_} 

Placing a hand tenderly on the welt on his cheek, he glared at the woman with her eyes lowered. Before he could yell at her for her action, she angrily stormed away to their room. 

"Where the hell are you going?" he demanded. "I'm not done with you!" 

Hastily wiping away tears from her eyes, Quistis yanked a suitcase from the closet and started throwing her belongings into the bag. 

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" hollered Seifer. "Think that's gonna work on me?! See if I give a fucking damn! Go if you want, it'd be better for me!!" 

Tears painfully stung her eyes but she refused to let them spill. Not in front of _him_. She couldn't let him see the weak side of her, the hopeless side that showed she cared. Letting him know that she was vulnerable would only cause her more pain because she knew all he would do is scoff at her weakness. 

"For five years, I've put up with this and I won't put up with it anymore," she said through clenched teeth. "I've bit back my tongue and haven't said a word but I know. You are a poor excuse for a father and I will no longer take it. I know your salary and every time I check, there's always some money missing. I'd hate to know what crap you buy with it but I'm not going to stand this anymore. You're probably using that money on some whore! That money's supposed to go to our son! I refuse to live under the same roof with a selfish bastard like you!" She quickly shut her suitcase and rushed over to her son's room. 

"Don't you dare take him away from me!" Seifer ordered, following the young woman. 

"He's MY son!" 

"**I** support him! Don't you fucking take him away or I'll--" He stopped when she froze upon opening the door. 

"Reni..." Quistis murmured softly. "He's gone..." 

~*~*~*~

"Should we contact his parents?" Cid inquired as he watched his wife stroke the hair of the little boy in her arms. 

"There has to be a reason Reni ran away," Selphie interjected. "Reni loves his parents and his parents love him. He would never just run away for the fun of it." 

"Selphie is right," Edea said. "There must be a reason Reni left his home. Something..." 

"It's probably real serious," Zell said. "Why would he go from Balamb Town all the way over to here?" 

Edea nodded, gazing at the sleeping boy. Although he was only five, he had a strong spirit and a will of iron. She imagined that he inherited those, like the features that reminded her of his parents. His soft silky strands of gold were probably from his mother, but like his father, there was always that stubborn one that stuck out of his head. His skin was flawless and of a fair complexion, and his eyes were a stunning sky blue. 

"We shall ask him about it in the morning," Edea said to the five friends. "For now, we shall let him rest. Everybody should go back to their rooms and get some sleep." 

~*~*~*~

_He looked up in response to the gentle calling of his mother._

_"Reni," she said, smiling sweetly. "Come on."_

_"Mommy..."_

_He stood straight and headed for his mother as leaves of yellow, red and orange fluttered in the crisp, autumn breeze._

_"Come on, Son," a male voice called out. His father, standing by his mother with a strong arm draped lovingly around her shoulder._

_"Mommy... Daddy..." He finally reached his parents and his mother took him in her warm embrace. He could see her glimpse up at the young man beside her and a soft smile graced her rose-colored lips. It was obvious that this woman was in love. His father stared down at her with the same affectionate look on his face and smiled. He, too, was in love._

_"Mommy... Daddy..." Reni spoke softly. "Can we be a family now?"_

_"Sure," his father laughed. "But we need one more thing..." He dug his hand into the pocket of his coat and took out a small, black, velvet box. He placed a finger on the young woman's lips to stop her from saying a word and handed her the box. "Now we can be a family."_

~*~*~*~

"GAH!" Reni sat up from his bed and realized he had been dreaming. He was in Garden and no longer in the wonderful dream world where his parents were in love. He was no longer in the dream world where there were no more fights and they could be a happy family. No disagreements, no shouting, no screaming or cursing. Just two parents deeply in love. 

He sniffled and started to cry. It seemed so real but now that he was back in the horrible reality where his parents despised each other and argued all the time, he didn't know what to do anymore. Seeing them fight was hard on him and all he could do was cry. Knowing that it was all his fault hurt him even more. If he hadn't been born then they didn't have to quarrel every single waking second and continue hurting each other. His father wouldn't have to go sleep on the couch every night and his mother didn't have to cry herself to sleep. It was all his fault. 

"Reni," Edea called out as she entered the room. Worry was visible throughout her pale features as she approached the bed. "Darling..." 

"Matron!" he cried, jumping into her arms. 

"Oh, my poor Reni..." 

"It's all my fault... Mommy an' Daddy are always fightin'... I don't want them to fight anymore..." 

"Is that why you ran away?" 

"Mm-hm," he nodded. 

"Do not worry, Reni. It is not your fault. Your mother and father love you very much and they would never be angry with you. It is not your fault." 

"Edea...?" Cid slowly came into the room. He saw her and Reni and went over to them. 

"Uncle SeeD..." Reni murmured. 

"Ahem!" Cid cleared his throat and chuckled. "That's 'Cid', Reni." 

"Okie, Cid Reni." 

"Er..." 

"Sir!" Xu entered the room with a phone in her hand. "Sir, it's Quistis." 

"Ah..." the headmaster turned to his wife. "Should we tell her?" 

"Well...we will have to ask the one she is looking for." Edea looked down at the little boy. "Reni, your mother is searching for you. Do you want her to know where you are?" 

"..." Reni took a moment to think about this. "Okie." 

Cid took the phone from Xu. "Hello? Oh, good morning, Quistis. How are you? Oh? Really? Your son is missing?! Well, Quistis...he's here. Yes, we found him. Hold on, let me ask him." He put down the phone and asked Reni, "Would you like to speak with your mother?" Reni nodded and Cid handed him the phone. 

"Hi, Mommy..." Reni greeted meekly. "I'm okay." 

~*~*~*~

The young blonde woman fumbled with the hem of her skirt and finally stopped when the man next to her in the driver's seat parked their black, muddy convertible in Balamb Garden's parking lot. The car was actually a real beauty but with all the things she and Seifer had to do, there was hardly any time to get the car cleaned. But, she remembered fondly how it shined and how lustrous it had been when it arrived at Balamb Garden that fine, autumn morning. Seeing Seifer come out had made her heart skip a beat. It was the day he decided to return, a few months after Reni had been born. She remembered every single detail of that day; how Seifer looked so serious as he stalked his way up to the headmaster's office and of course that priceless expression he had when he found out that he had a child. She reported the news calmly and coolly, making it sound like it was no big deal, and made it clear that she wasn't forcing him to help her take care of their son. Seifer had changed after the incident with Ultimecia but just she had no idea how much. He apologized for his absence during Reni's birth and first few months and said he would take full responsibility and make up for lost time. His offer to support their child had shown that he had grown up and this caused her to just fall head over heels for him. 

Reni looked so much like his father. And now they were off to fetch him. Then what? They'd take him home and everything would be back to normal. If a parent had lost their child and found them again, they would want their lives to be normal again. But Quistis didn't. Who would want to go back to constant fighting, heartbreak and tears? She wished she and Seifer could just put all that to a halt. Even though she said many detrimental things to him, she never meant them and in her heart, she held a deep affection for him. She knew she did because if she didn't really give a damn then she wouldn't be so hurt by his hateful words. 

_'You always hurt the one you love...and they always hurt you...'_ she thought, wiping a tear from her eye and turning away. She wanted to tell him but it was impossible with all the disagreements they had. How could she tell him her feelings amidst the cursing and screaming? And there were always those 'what-ifs'. What if he didn't care? What if he laughed at her? What if he recognized her feelings as a weakness and used it against her? And all these 'what-ifs' were ended with 'then-whats'. What if telling him her feelings caused him to leave her? Then what? These 'what-ifs' and 'then-whats' never had any answers and so she kept her emotions to herself. But it was so hard because she cared for him...so much... 

They got out of the car and entered the Garden. Cid and Edea were already waiting in the front hall with Reni by their side, along with certain five other people. 

"Reni!" Quistis cried, running over to her son and taking him into her tight embrace. She let go him and bowed to the headmaster and his wife. "Thank you very much for taking care of him." 

Edea smiled. "We would never let your son get hurt. We love him just as much as you do." 

The blonde nodded and took her son's hand. "Come on, Reni, let's go back home." 

"Hm-mm," he shook his head, pulling away. "I don't wanna go..." 

"Reni," his mother said, with a hurt expression on her face. "Please, Reni, let's go home now." 

"I don't wanna go home," the small boy stated. "You an' Daddy are always fightin' and I don't want that. It's my fault you're always fightin'. I don't want you to fight anymore!" 

"Reni..." 

"Quistis," Cid cut in. "Myself and the others have come up with a plan." 

"What is it, Sir?" she asked. 

"For one month," he said. "You and Seifer will be apart." 

"What do you mean by that?" Seifer inquired. 

"You and Quistis can't interact with each other for thirty whole days," Selphie explained. 

"But...but what about Reni?" the blonde woman asked worriedly. 

"He will stay with us," Edea nodded. "We will take good care of him." 

"And after the month is over..." the headmaster continued. 

"You and Seifer will meet again," Rinoa said. 

"And you two'll decide..." Irvine added. 

"If you wanna stay together," Zell finished. 

"So me and Quistis are gonna split up for one month?" Seifer raised an eyebrow. "And then see each other after that month if we wanna stay together? But where're we gonna meet?" 

"Reni here has decided," Cid replied. "He wants you to meet at Balamb Town's harbor. For the duration of that month, he will be on the White SeeD ship. Do you agree with this proposition?" 

The tall blond shrugged. "Not like there's anything to lose..." 

Those words caused Quistis to feel a pang in her chest but she didn't show her hurt. "It's fine with me," she replied nonchalantly. 

"Good. Then it's settled," Cid stated. "Will it be all right if our deal begins tomorrow." 

"The sooner the better," Quistis smiled. 

"Yes. There's a room available here in Garden and either one of you may stay there." 

"I'll take it," she said. "Tell you what? Let's begin right now. I can just go take my things and come back." 

"Very well," he looked at his watch. "So on the fourth of October, at 1200 hours, you, Quistis Trepe and Seifer Almasy will meet at Balamb Harbor." 

The blonde woman nodded and smirked in a way to make people believe that she actually was anxious about being away from the ex-knight for one whole month. But she was really worried of what Seifer would decide. This was his chance to break things off with her and he would surely take it. It was an offer he couldn't refuse and he would gladly accept. _'One month...thirty days without Reni...or Seifer... Please, please, please, don't take him away from me...'_


	2. STDs

Author's Notes: Heehee... =^.^= I'm so glad people liked the last chapter. (Or at least liked it enough to review...or something... Q_Q) Sorry I haven't updated for sooo long, but I wanted to make this fic worth your time! Okay, well, hope you all enjoy this chapter. 

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PART 2 STDs 

Two days passed since Quistis and Seifer decided on the agreement. Quistis took up residence at Garden while Seifer stayed at their home in Balamb. Reni was taken in by the White SeeD ship sometime at night, to avoid being found out by anyone who sought out to get them. No one had seen Seifer since the day of the proposal and nobody really knew what was going on with Quistis. 

Quistis had adjusted quite well to her new environment and she still knew the place like the back of her hand. Even after five years, her fanclub had stayed loyal to her and bore their strange obsession, much to the dismay of the ex-instructor. She simply smiled whenever she met up with them and walked away, like what she did with certain old male colleagues who had been pining for her since Hyne knows when. They tried to strike up conversations with her, asking how "the husband" was and she always had to tell them that she was never married to Seifer in the first place. She knew very well that they were only asking about him to make sure that the ex-knight was out of the picture so they could make their moves. Quistis told them that she didn't want to talk about it, and went one her way. In reality, though, she wanted someone to talk to about her feelings for Seifer. She missed him terribly and wished she could just let it all out. So, since she kept her feelings to herself and Seifer was somewhere else, nobody really knew how any of them felt about being apart. 

However, everybody knew what Selphie Tilmitt was feeling. She started, what most people would like to call, "The Bet". Anyone who was anyone in Garden knew about the whole thing with Quistis and Seifer and they made wagers on whether or not the couple would last without each other. Even the old cafeteria ladies had placed money. So, basically, everyone knew about the agreement and got involved in the infamous "Bet". Not only did this make the perky brunette ecstatic, but this gave her a chance to advertise for the dating service she had begun only a month ago. She met up with the people at the betting area, located in the cafeteria, and gave out flyers for _"Selphie Tilmitt's Dates"_. For a while, she had given out flyers for _"STDs"_, but for some strange reason, nobody ever came. Having _"Selphie Tilmitt's Dates"_ printed certainly cost her more, but it didn't matter anymore because people were starting to flock to her office. 

That morning, Raijin went over to the Quad, where Selphie was sitting by her desk, and that was her office. "Heeellooo, Raijin! I've been expecting you," she greeted with a huge and welcoming "business lady Selphie" smile. 

"Ya got those dates I asked, ya know?" he inquired in a low voice. 

"Yep! I'm sure your friend will be very happy!" she replied gleefully. "But can I ask you something, though? Who is this...'friend', anyway?" 

"Uhh...ya really wanna know?" Raijin asked. It seemed that he was getting a bit uneasy now, eyes darting side to side for anyone who might have happened to pop out of nowhere. 

"Well, of course! I'm going to need to know who I'm setting up my fine line of hunks with before I let any of them go!" 

"What!" an indifferent voice rang from behind a thick bush in the corner. It turned out that someone was hiding in the Quad all along, listening to Selphie and Raijin's conversation. Unexpected, yes, but the bigger surprise was when that someone came out. "Who did you set me up with again?!" 

"S-Seifer?! What are you doing in here?!" Selphie demanded, jumping up from her chair. She quickly turned to Raijin, cocking an eyebrow. "_He's_ your 'friend'?" 

Raijin scratched his head. "Huh...uhm...well...ya know..." 

"I thought it was Fujin!" Selphie stroked her chin, seemingly deep in thought. "Well, I got a few guys who go both ways so maybe..." 

"_What!_" Seifer exclaimed. "What the... Hey, I ain't dating no guy!" 

"Huh? But I thought you were hom--" 

"What the hell gave you _that_ idea?!" 

"You never really had any girlfriends for the time I've known you except for Rinoa and Quistis." Selphie looked at him with a perplexed look on her face. "I could have sworn you had a thing for Squall..." 

"WHAT!" Seifer's hand was taking on a life of its own and slowly reached for the hilt of his Hyperion. 

"A-And it looked like you had so much fun teasing Zell..." 

"RUN NOW, YA KNOW!" Raijin yelled as Seifer lunged for the young girl's neck. 

"Eek!" Selphie rushed out of the Quad to a place where she could hide for the next few minutes...or months... 

~*~*~*~

Several hours later, Seifer, who had finally cooled off after being "given" a little sedative by Dr. Kadowaki, decided to come with Raijin and meet Selphie. The brunette sat at her desk with a nervous yet cheerful smile. After all, she was running a business and the first rule of the trade was to keep as many of one's customers. 

"I got a some great girls for you," Selphie said. "They were originally for Zell, but we wouldn't want to go out of business, would we? Now, this is gonna be great!" She put on her glasses and flipped through some files. She then took out a heart-shaped piece of paper and handed it to the tall blond. "Meet me here exactly five hours from now for your first date!" 

~*~*~*~

[Date 1] 

At the specified time, Seifer met Selphie at her "office" and was given directions to the restaurant where he was to meet his date. The ex-knight waited patiently in front of a romantic Dollet-styled ristorante with a bouquet of fresh cut red roses. He ran a gloved hand through his flaxen locks and looked to see if his date was around. 

"Hello there," a melodious voice greeted. Seifer turned around to see a tall young woman with silken, chocolate curls sticking out of her quaint, black hat, which matched nicely with her two piece, black and white suit. "My name is Ashlay. You must be Seifer. You're much hotter than what the dating service told me." 

"Uh...thanks," Seifer replied, taking a moment to look her over. Pretty good. 

"Well, shall we?" 

"Sure, Qui--" He stopped and shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the thoughts plaguing his mind. 

"What was that, Seifer?" 

"Nothing. Something unimportant just popped into my mind." 

"I see," she smiled. "Come on, let's go." 

~*~*~*~

Ashlay propped her chin against her elbow and leaned forward closer to the man across from her. He put down his glass of water and stared at her with curiosity. 

"Yes?" he raised an eyebrow. 

"I was just thinking of how your eyes sparkle in the candlelight. I wouldn't be surprised if women came by the hundreds. Those eyes are reason enough." 

"Yeah, by the hundreds," Seifer chuckled. "They always come back begging for more." 

She tucked a luscious brown curl behind her ear and placed her napkin neatly on the table. "Perfect. Just the man I need. As you know, the first rule in business is to keep as many customers as possible. Shall we seal the deal?" 

"What deal?" 

"Oh, you know! The 'deal'..." 

"_What_ deal?" 

"You're hired! You've got everything I need in a man whore. Great body, silky soft hair, charming smile..." 

"_Man whore!?_" 

"Yes! Or would you rather be called an _escort_, hmm? Male prostitute? Harlot? Potato, potatoe; it doesn't matter. You'll be wonderful for business, seeing how good you are on dates." 

They were in silence as Seifer sat there, mouth hanging out like some fool's, and Ashlay waited for him to say something. The brunette took this moment to order a few ice cream truffles before she snapped her fingers in the air to get the dazed young man's attention. "Hel-lo! Sei-fer! A-ny-bo-dy home?" She sighed, "You look awfully surprised. Didn't Miss Tilmitt tell you that I was looking for someone to work for me? This date was set up so I could see how your people skills were." 

"I wasn't looking for a job! I was only looking for a date!" 

"Really?" she frowned. "You could've been one of our top courtesans, too... Aww... Well..." She took out a red card and handed it to the blond man. "Here's my calling card. We'd love to have you as a client! First slut, fifty percent off!" 

"Uh...sure...right..." 

"I wish you would work for me, though! That's a bummer..." 

"If it's any consolation, I can recommend someone." 

"Oh really!? I'd appreciate that. What's his name?" 

~*~*~*~

[Date 2] 

"Bonnie?" Seifer asked as a small auburn-haired lady with a white and light blue sailor outfit came up to him. 

"Yep!" she replied gleefully. "Seifer! Hey, do you have a pony? You wanna go ride a pony? Let's go get a pony, buy me a pony! Ponies are great, aren't they? Oh, I just love ponies! I had a pony when I was a wee lil' girl but it died and I was sad and my parents didn't want me to be sadder because if I had a pony and my pony died then I would be sadder but I really wanted a pony because I have no people friends and ponies are my only friends. Am I talking too much? Oh, I'm not talking too much, but please if I talk too much then tell me because I don't wanna annoy you because if I annoy you, I'll be annoying and you won't like me anymore and since I have no pony friends then I won't have any friends and--" 

~*~*~*~

[Date 3] 

"Your gunblade sounds promising," Nina nodded. "May I see it?" 

"Not right now," Seifer answered. "You know these people. Seeing a weapon'll probably cause chaos throughout the whole town. Women screaming, men crying... Don't wanna see that." 

Nina chuckled as she pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "Hyperion, is it? When we go to my place, I'll have him meet my Assasin. He helped me out a lot back in the days when I was a full-time thief. Especially that time when I blew up a house to get this twenty million gil diamond necklace. I would have probably been in jail with my thousand year sentence if I hadn't joined SeeD." 

"Yeah. Being in SeeD got me outta a lot of shit in my life." 

"I joined four years ago after my first love left me. I was afraid I would go on a murderous path. I'm a really gentle person... I'd never hurt a fly! I wouldn't dream of--" 

Seifer stared at her and turned to see why she had come to an abrupt stop. A man with jet-black hair had entered the restaurant and had a giggling young woman by his side. He turned to face Nina and she then suddenly stood up, and whipped out her .357 Magnum pistol, aiming it at the man. 

"**_YOU BROKE MY HEART, YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH_**!" 

~*~*~*~

[Date 4] 

"I hate men; all of them are chauvinistic pigs! The way they talk about our boobs and our asses is just sickening... I'm sooo glad that dating agency set me up with you. Selphie told me all about your goals. My brother is actually a specialist in sex change and I can give you his card..." 

~*~*~*~

[Date 5] 

"Oh yes, I love this restaurant. It's so quiet and peaceful that I could just... Zzzz........." 

~*~*~*~

[Date 6] 

"...Umm...Seifer Almasy? Hi, my name is Adel. Sorry if I look a little weird to you now but my doctor told me that once I get my surgery done, I'll look like a real woman." 

~*~*~*~

[Date 49] 

"_You_ were the Sorceress' Knight?" Glycine implied with great surprise. "That's so cool." 

"Yeah, I know," Seifer grinned. _'Yes! Finally...a good date! The music sounds good, the food smells good, my date is **hot**. This is gonna be great!'_

"I think our order is coming," Glycine said. As expected, the waiter came by and to Seifer's delight, delivered a mouth-watering sirloin in front of them. 

"Enjoy," the waiter said. 

_'Oh I will!'_ Seifer licked his lips and took a big bite of his steak. It was even more wonderful than he had thought it would be but there was one problem... In his hurry to gobble up the delicious morsel, he found his air supply had been cut off. 

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Glycine asked sweetly. "My family owns this place and Papa is the head chef. I hope it's good. Do you like it?" 

Seifer tried to look at her, tears in his eyes and a piece of meat lodged in his throat. She started to look concerned and saw his coughing as a sign of disapprovement. 

"You...don't...like it?" Glycine asked with an upset stare. Her grip on the butter knife in her hand tightened as she looked at him angrily. "You don't like my _father's_ cooking?!" 

Seifer finally gulped down the steak but it seemed too late for him. His date loomed over him menacingly, the knife still in her hand. "I-I didn't say that!" he protested. 

"Just because you're a former knight means that four-star cooking isn't good enough for you?!" 

~*~*~*~

"Oh Seifer," Selphie sighed. "How many dates can you ruin?" 

"I didn't ruin any of them!" the tall blond responded. "It's all _your_ fault! What's the big deal with setting me up with all these freaks?! If you can't find a decent woman then forget it! Deal's over!" 

"Don't tell me you're giving up!" 

"Look here, I _never_ give up! I just don't want anymore dates. I'm fed up with all that crap." 

"Squall is available," Selphie told him. "I set him up with Quistis but maybe I can make a few arrangements..." 

"Wh-What!?" 

"Weeell... Squall and Rinoa broke up and I decided to make them clients of mine! Seeing how you love Squall and all, I'm willing to hook you two up." 

"That joy-impaired loser with _my_ girl?!" 

"Hey, what do _you_ care, anyway, Seifer?" Selphie crossed her arms. She then smirked at the worried expression on his face as a mischievous grin formed on her lips. "Seifer, are we _jealous_ of a certain commander?" 

"Uh..." A blush spread out all over the ex-knight's handsome features. He turned away and tried to hide it. "Jealous!? Me!? Seifer Almasy does NOT get jealous!" Much to his annoyance, the small brunette was giggling maniacally and could not be stopped. Sadly shaking his head, he thought, 'I'll never hear the end of this...' 

~*~*~*~

"Quistis." 

"Mm... Y-Yes?" Her head perked up and her eyes met his grayish-blue ones. "What is it, Squall?" 

"You've changed," he stated. "You're more quiet now." 

"Glad you noticed," she smiled. "My mind seemed to have drifted off, I guess. Let's talk." 

"...Yeah..." 

"So tell me, are you enjoying yourself?" 

"...I guess." 

"That's good to hear." She then looked out the window once again, and watched the people pass by. Deling sure was a busy city. Everyone seemed in such a hurry and it was as if they all had somewhere they just had to be. She was more used to the peaceful tranquility of Balamb Town. After five years, who wouldn't? 

A small sigh escaped her lips. She missed the small town already, even when she had just been there a few hours ago. Her thoughts then began to wander to a certain resident in Balamb... 

_'Oh no, don't think of him!'_ she mentally scolded herself. _'You're on a date with Squall! Squall - the man you've loved for as long as you could remember! What happened with you and that other guy meant nothing. You're here with Squall now, and you're gonna enjoy yourself.'_

"So, Squall..." she began, trying to spark a conversation. "Anything new in life?" 

"Nothing really," he replied monotonously. "I'm just wondering how the hell you and Seifer got together." 

"Wh-What?!" she exclaimed, very startled at his comment. How in the world did _that_ topic just come into their conversation, or...so-called conversation? But the question was not whether or not they actually had a conversation to begin with, it was how the topic had gotten into their...whatever. 

"There's so much stuff with you and Seifer," he said. "Your deal, "The Bet"... How'd you and him get together in the first place, anyway?" 

"You're actually _interested_?" 

"Well..." Squall paused for a moment as his mind drifted back to the events of the previous night. He really didn't care but there were more important things to worry about than trying to get Selphie off his back. "Yeah." 

"All right, if you want to know," she shrugged. "As I recall, it was the night I had lost my instructor's license..." 

~*~*~*~

[The Night Quistis Lost Her Instructor's License] 

"Squall. It's not like everyone can get by on their own, you know?" And with those words, she left. She went as quickly as she could for her dorm, so that no one who might be around could see her tears. 

_"Then go talk to a wall."_

His words rung in her head and pained her. What was his deal? Squall was her most trusted student and she felt that he was the one she could open her feelings up to. So what did he do? He told her to talk to a wall. _'Goddamned wall... Squall, won't you ever realize that I love you!?'_ She looked up and tried to make out where the dormitory was. It was hard to see, because tears were flooding her eyes and the moisture blurred her eyesight. _'Dammit, where's my room!?'_

"Instructor." 

She swung around and could barely make out the figure of a tall, blond man in a trench coat. She couldn't see his face, red with drunkenness, but he was so incredibly close that she was all too aware of the intoxication in the warm breath steaming down on her. 

With a small cough, she reprimanded him, "Seifer, go to your room immediately." 

"Why are you crying, Instructor?" he asked with a hint of concern in his deep, masculine voice. 

"I'm not--" She abruptly stopped herself when she just realized something. Was Seifer...leaning closer? "What..." she whispered, "are you doing...?" 

"...No self-discipline... Failed student..." he murmured, and the words she had said to herself earlier that evening suddenly came back to her. 

_"...No leadership qualities... Failed instructor..."_

"Perhaps," he said, "they're right..." 

_"...Perhaps they're right..."_

Without realizing it, her weeping had stopped and the moisture on her face was drying. She shook her head in objection as she placed a hand sympathetically on Seifer's arm. "Don't say that, Seifer," she said softly. "It's...because of me... It's my fault, all my fault... If I had been a better leader, like I was supposed to be, I could have helped you... It's...my fault, not yours." 

"Don't do that," he retorted. "For once...stop it. This time, nothing you say or do can make me feel any better. _I'm_ the failure. _I'm_ the reason both of our lives are a living hell, so just stop trying to make it sound like it was all your fault, 'cause it wasn't..." He then held up his hand to his forehead and with his other arm, he held on to Quistis for support. The alcohol's effects were gradually taking over, and his body kept on swinging back and forth. 

"Seifer," she gasped, wrapping her arms around him to keep him steady. He was getting drowsier, and he looked at her through half-closed eyelids. She had never been this close before, and even when he was growing wearier, she still found his sleepy eyes beautiful and most alluring. She forced herself to look away as she felt heat rise up her cheeks. _'What are you thinking!? He's your student, for goodness sake!'_ she reminded herself. But then she was well aware of the fact that that wasn't true at all. He was her pupil...a few hours ago. Now, he was a resident of Balamb Garden, like she only was, and student-teacher policies were nonexistent between them. _'No, no, NO!'_ she thought, grateful that Seifer had leaned his head on her shoulder, and she couldn't see his face. _'So WHAT if he's not your student anymore!? This is Seifer! Seifer Almasy, Balamb Garden's most notorious troublemaker! And besides...........................he wouldn't want you, anyway.'_

"Let's just get you to your room." He nodded and muttered an 'okay', and Quistis helped him to the dormitory. Her vision was back to normal, and she completely forgot that she had cried at all. She stopped in the halls and looked around. "Seifer, where's your room?" 

"I feel sick..." was all he said. 

"S-Seifer!" Quistis was frantic. "Y-You can't! I need to know where your room is!" 

"S-So...dizzy..." 

Not knowing what else to do, and seeing that Seifer would not be of any help, Quistis decided to have him stay in her room tonight and proceeded to drag him to her dorm. It was no piece of cake, especially when she was trying to open her door with only one arm supporting Seifer, but she got them both into her room. She led him to her bed and let him plop down onto her bed, but he still held her and she found herself tumbling alongside him. 

"S-Seifer..." she began, and she blushed some more. "You can let go now..." 

"...Problematic... No future in SeeD..." he murmured. "Instructor Trepe... I failed you... I'm...sorry..." Quistis opened her mouth to calm him down, but then he continued. His eyes were no longer shut, and they were focused on her. "Maybe if I weren't so jealous over the fact that you liked Squall and not me, then I might have done better...but I couldn't help it." 

Was it really obvious that she cared for Squall more than a friend and student? She tried to hide it because feelings that were not on a professional basis were frowned upon, and acting on them would have certainly caused her to lose the job she loved. Maybe the attention she was giving her favorite pupil had given it all away, or at least made people wonder about it. 

"I was so jealous," he continued. "And I hated him more and more because it was him you cared about. And I couldn't think of anything else instead of how much happier you could've been with me. I wanted you to see that I was better and stronger than him but in the end, he was the one who made SeeD and I didn't, and you liked him even more." 

A small gasp escaped her lips that she did not notice when she felt him grasp at her tighter. He gazed back at her with beautiful eyes, yet they were solemn, full of regret and sorrow. She'd never seen him so close before, and now she felt like she was finally understanding her other student. It was said that the eyes were the windows to the soul, and being like that with Seifer, she felt like she could see and understand his thoughts and emotions. 

They lay on the bed, with her in his arms and both of them staring at each other. They didn't know how long they were like that, but sometime after laying in silence, the knight-to-be leaned down and softly touched his lips to his instructor's. She didn't urge him to continue, but she didn't fight against it either. Quistis had no energy to stop him, and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to make herself do it. She felt as if she'd harmed him enough, and she wanted to heal him. He was hurting, and she wanted him to know that she understood, that he was not alone. If he decided to stop, she wouldn't be disappointed. If he continued then...she would just let it be.


End file.
